Hello All: Patent research on the EMSounder.
Dr. Stamm's original patents dates back to 1983. In fact, almost all subsequent ground penetrating radar patent applications include him as their first citation. It is safe to say that he is the founder of the technology and knows what he's doing.
The relevant patent is: 4381544
To verify, go to: patents.upspto.gov
You will find a broadly worded patent that summarizes the process for geotechnic exploration. It was issued April 26, 1983.
What has ocurred over the past five years is what I would call a convergence of GPR hardware and information processing technolgies that have made the EMSounder economically viable. I have no idea of the type of GPR imaging software that they are using, but I would assume that it is also proprietary.
There may be more. If you find anything interesting, please post it.
Other patents that are worth researching and may be pertinent are:
United States Patent 4,575,684 Stamm Mar. 11, 1986
Differential phase shift keying receiver
<<A receiver for demodulating differential phase shift keying data, the data having bit values dependent upon whether the phase of a carrier is inverted or not inverted during a bit interval, the receiver having a phase locked loop oscillator for locking up with the phase of the carrier, a phase detector for sensing differences in phases between the oscillator signal and the incoming data, an oscillator controller for controlling the output phase of the oscillator in response to the phase detector, a phase sense detector which detects whether or not the carrier has been inverted, a data clock responsive to the oscillator and to the phase sense detector for providing a data clock signal defining a bit interval, and a bit detector responsive to the phase sense detector, the data clock and the oscillator for integrating the incoming data. >>
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United States Patent 5,325,095 Vadnais, et. al.Jun. 28, 1994
Stepped frequency ground penetrating radar
(My guess is that this is the radar system they are using As you can tell by the citing, it is not Dr. Stamm's patent))
<<A stepped frequency ground penetrating radar system is described comprising an RF signal generating section capable of producing stepped frequency signals in spaced and equal increments of time and frequency over a preselected bandwidth which serves as a common RF signal source for both a transmit portion and a receive portion of the system. In the transmit portion of the system the signal is processed into in-phase and quadrature signals which are then amplified and then transmitted toward a target. The reflected signals from the target are then received by a receive antenna and mixed with a reference signal from the common RF signal source in a
mixer whose output is then fed through a low pass filter. The DC output, after amplification and demodulation, is digitized and converted into a frequency domain signal by a Fast Fourier Transform. A plot of the frequency domain signals from all of the stepped frequencies broadcast toward and received from the target yields information concerning the range (distance) and cross section (size) of the target.>>
marty |
